European Patent Application 362,001 describes .alpha.,.alpha.-disubstituted N-cycloalkylalkylamines having specific affinity for sigma (.sigma.) receptors and which are useful in the treatment of psychoses and gastrointestinal complaints, of the formula ##STR2## in which: R.sub.1 and R.sub.5 are phenyl, R.sub.2 is alkyl, R.sub.3 is hydrogen or low-molecular-weight alkyl, R.sub.4 is cycloalkyl, m is 1 or 2.
European Patent Application 445,013 describes N-cycloalkylalkylamines having specific affinity for .sigma. receptors and which are useful in the treatment of psychoses and gastrointestinal complaints, of the formula ##STR3## in which: R.sub.1 is a furyl or thienyl radical or alternatively a phenyl radical, provided that Q is 1,2-cyclopropanediyl, R.sub.2 is low-molecular-weight alkyl, R.sub.3 is hydrogen or low-molecular-weight alkyl, m has the value 1 or 2, R.sub.4 is cycloalkyl--CH(CH.sub.2).sub.n in which n is from 2 to 5, R.sub.5 is phenyl or thienyl, Q is 1,2-ethylenediyl or 1,2-cyclopropanediyl.
Although displaying an affinity for the same types of receptors as the compounds of this invention, the amines disclosed in these two documents differ in terms of their structure, which is that of amines in which the nitrogen atom is not included in a cycloalkane sequence.
PCT Application WO 91/03243 includes a description of 1-cycloalkylpiperidines having specific antagonist activity toward a receptors and which are useful in the treatment of psychoses and dyskinesias, of the formula ##STR4## in which, preferably: X is C.dbd.O, CHOH or O; and/or m is 0; and/or n and p are 1; and/or R.sub.3 -R.sub.5 are H; and/or Ar is phenyl, optionally substituted by halogens, OCH.sub.3, NH.sub.2, NO.sub.2 or another phenyl group, a and b representing, moreover, single bonds or either of them representing a double bond.
PCT Application WO 93/09094 includes a description of ethers derived from alkyl piperidines or pyrrolidines which are antipsychotic agents, of the formula ##STR5## in which, for the preferred compounds: n and p are 1; and/or m is 1-3; and/or R is phenyl;
and/or X is trans --CH.dbd.CH--; and/or Ar is phenyl, PA1 p-F-phenyl or p-CF.sub.3 -phenyl; and/or the side chain is located at position 4 of the piperidine ring. PA1 R is phenyl, optionally substituted, or cycloalkyl containing 3 to 7 carbon atoms, PA1 n has the value of 1 to 3, PA1 Ar is an optionally substituted phenyl radical, PA1 n is 1 or 2, PA1 R is a cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl or phenyl radical.
Among other dissimilarities, the compounds of PCT applications WO 91/03243 and WO 93/09094 differ formally from the compounds of the present invention by the existence in their intermediate chain of an oxygen-containing function (C.dbd.O, CHOH) or an oxygen atom --O--. It is also noteworthy that this chain is located, or is declared to be preferably linked to the carbon atom, at position 4 (para) of the piperidine ring, and in no case on the carbon atom at position 2, adjacent to the nitrogen atom. These applications do not make mention of any use of the compounds for the treatment of gastrointestinal complaints.
PCT Application WO 92/22527 describes calcium-channel-antagonist compounds of the formula ##STR6## in which, inter alia: R is (C.sub.1-8 alkyl) (C.sub.3-8 cycloalkyl); p [sic] is 0 to 2; n is 0 to 6; A is --CH.dbd.CH--; Ar is aryl.
PCT Application WO 93/15052 describes calcium-channel-antagonist compounds of the formula ##STR7## in which, Ar being optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl, it is defined for the preferred compounds that: m has the value 0 to 3, R is (C.sub.1-8 alkyl) (phenyl)p in which p is 0 or 1, or R is (C.sub.2-8 alkenyl) (phenyl)p in which p is 1, A is oxygen or --CH.dbd.CH--, the length of the --(CH.sub.2).sub.n A(CH.sub.2).sub.m -- chain being from 2 to 6 atoms.
These latter two applications relate to compounds which are calcium channel antagonists and which differ from the compounds of the present invention by virtue of that use. Moreover, contrary to what might be assumed from the declared meanings of R, A, Ar, n and m, none of the compounds referred to in these documents is prejudicial to the novelty of the 2-(alkenyl)azacycloalkanes (I) to which the present invention relates.